You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and attendance information is included below:  

Date: May 27, 2025
Time: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM (PT) 

Defence mode: Hybrid
In-Person Attendance: Senate Chambers, UNBC Prince George Campus  
Virtual Attendance: via Zoom 

LINK TO JOIN: Please contact the Office of Graduate Administration for information regarding remote attendance for online defences. 

To ensure the defence proceeds with no interruptions, please mute your audio and video on entry and do not inadvertently share your screen. The meeting will be locked to entry 5 minutes after it begins: please ensure you are on time.  

Thesis entitled: EXPLORING NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIAN FIREARM OWNING MEN’S EXPERIENCES AROUND ACCESSING MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT

Abstract: Firearm owning men appear hesitant to access mental health services in Canada. This is an issue as firearm related deaths are overwhelmingly caused by male suicide and by men killing their domestic partners. Encouraging access to services may limit the number of these deaths. However, no research has been undertaken directly asking men about their experiences in seeking out mental health treatment.
This research is aimed to understand what firearm owning men experience when seeking out mental health treatment. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into why men may be hesitant to access services, and to consider what approaches may encourage them to access services.
This research was limited to the geographical area of Northern BC. This study also may not have been able to connect with men who felt the most hesitancy due to their reluctance to engage with myself due to his professional affiliation.
This thesis used primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected via semi-structure qualitative interviews done with six firearm owning men living in Northern British Columbia. The secondary data was from a variety of sources obtained via relevant literature, academic databases, government publications, and online sources. The thesis was an exploratory qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis.
This research suggests that men value their firearms for extrinsic and intrinsic reasons. The majority of men had some hesitancy towards accessing services, with the major obstacle being concern over losing their firearms and how this would impact their lives. Suggestions to increase the likelihood of men accessing treatment are aimed at general practitioners and legislators with special emphasis on the government developing clearer processes.

Defence Committee:  
Chair: Dr. Neil Hanlon, University of Northern British Columbia  
Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Kyle, University of Northern British Columbia  
Committee Member: Dr. Susan Burke, University of Northern British Columbia  
Committee Member: Dr. Linda O'Neill, University of Northern British Columbia  
External Examiner: Dr. Paul Siakaluk, University of Northern British Columbia